With every new open-world game comes the expectation that the developers have included hidden secrets and references for us to search out and discover. Cyberpunk 2077‘s Night City is absolutely brimming with hiding spots for Easter eggs, and CD Projekt Red has not let that opportunity go to waste. The world isn’t as massive in terms of sheer size as some other open-world titles but is absolutely dense with detail and personality that can make it easy to miss out on these fun little nods to other media and people.
You may expect all of them to be sci-fi or Witcher related, but the range of Easter eggs found so far in Cyberpunk 2077 is bound to surprise you. Check out just a couple of the best ones we’ve found so far and how you can get a look at them yourself.
Further reading
Is that a Jojo reference?
The PS4 and Xbox One generation of games saw a steadily building popularity of games including a photo mode. This option allows players to pause the game, adjust the camera, sometimes toggle through some filters and character poses, and take a screenshot to show off. Cyberpunk 2077 got creative with the poses they allow you to put your character in with over a dozen references to films, anime, people, and real-life moments. Here’s the name of all the poses and what they’re referencing if you don’t catch it right away:
- V’s Bizarre Pose – From Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
- In the Name of the Moon, I’ll Punish You! – From Sailor Moon
- Joker Stairs – From the 2019 Joker movie
- My Name is V. Just V. – From James Bond films
- V Shot First – Reference to Han Solo in Star Wars
- Like One of Your French Girls – From Titanic
- Be Cool, This Is a Robbery! – From Pulp Fiction
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – From the movie of the same name
- Hard Pass/Now You’re Talking – From Hotline Bling album
- Run the Jewels – From the Run the Jewels rap group
- V for Victory – From the Dark Souls’ Praise the Sun pose
- Oh My God! They Killed V! – From South Park
- Roundhouse Shot to the Face – Referencing Chuck Norris
- You’re Breathtaking – From the iconic E3 moment with Keanu Reeves
These are just some of the most recognizable Easter eggs the poses make reference to, but there are tons more you should explore for yourself.
Hideo Kojima
The master of cameos, Easter eggs, and self-references, Hideo Kojima has become an Easter egg himself. If you’ve been following the marketing for Cyberpunk 2077, then this won’t be much of a surprise since Kojima had openly shared images of his likeness in the game’s world prior to release. Still, if you want to go out and catch a drink with the famous game director, you can catch him in the Konpeki Plaza bar in the Arasaka Waterfront. You’ll even be led to this bar during a mission called The Heist, but sadly Kojima himself doesn’t play any role in the game or have any quests for you.
Nice try samurai
We knew very little about Cyberpunk 2077 when the trailer dropped at E3 and revealed that Keanu Reeves would be playing the role of Johnny Silverhand. The trailer ends with his reveal at a junkyard and the line “Wake the **** up, Samurai. We have a city to burn.” CD Projekt Red managed to reference their own trailer in a very fun way that only a few people would ever even get a chance to see. Before the game released on December 10, gamers who had pre-ordered the game were obviously eager to start as soon as possible. The thing is, when they tried to boot up the game before it unlocked officially, they would be brought to the same junkyard location from the end of the trailer with Silverhand himself. Only this time they would get the message, “Go back to sleep, Samurai. It’s not December 10th yet!”
They’re both for monsters
Prior to Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red has only developed three games — The Witcher 3 being the most ambitious, popular, and successful to date. So the team had a very limited pool to draw from when looking at past projects to sneak in references to. But, with one game being set in a futuristic sci-fi city and the other a fantasy world filled with monsters and magic, references could easily feel out of place or forced. They get around this in some clever ways that even Witcher fans might miss.
The first Witcher reference is the Black Unicorn katana. This is a unique steel sword that was featured in both The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3. The sword’s description also has a second little secret in the final line that reads, “Most importantly, it remains light and nimble to wield because it was forged DRM-free.”
Following the same style, the Rayfield Aerondight was the name of another weapon from The Witcher 3 that is now given to a special vehicle you can acquire in Night City.
For fans of Geralt’s trusty steed, just head to any arcade to find games featuring the unsung companion. Roach appears in a pixelated form on a bunch of arcade cabinets, such as Roach Race, where the game is all about guiding Roach as far as possible while jumping over fences.
Finally, the most blatant Easter egg is a magazine featuring the full cover of The Witcher 3, complete with Ciri and the logo. This magazine is tucked in a drawer of your desk at the Arasaka firm, only if you choose to take the Corpo lifepath. If you do, just head into the office, find your desk, and open the top right drawer to find the Retro Gaming magazine featuring The Witcher 3 as the game of the month.
The three shells
Possibly the weirdest thing to stick from the classic Demolition Man film was the notorious three shells. This little gag has had a lot of staying power over the years, and once again pops up for those in the know if you head to your personal apartment in Night City. Head into your bathroom and look beside the toilet to find not toilet paper, but three shells lined up in a neat little row. Hopefully, V knows how to use them already because we never figured it out.
Another type of shell
Of all the influential sci-fi works that deserve at least some recognition for influencing the genre, Ghost in the Shell should be among the top. At first glance, you might not spot anything in the game that pays tribute to this classic manga/anime, but there is one cute little nod right in front of you most of the game. Any time a character calls you in the game, they will have an icon associated with them. Judy’s icon is a cartoon ghost that appears to be floating out of an open seashell. Put another way, a ghost in a shell. It’s a fun little detail to pick up on for those who manage to catch it.
